Grug

Grug
Based on the picture books by Ted Prior

After a sell-out season at Out of the Box 2010, the lovable Grug is returning to QPAC to prove that good things come in very cute packages. Children and parents alike are enthralled by this magical stage production, which brings Ted Prior's hugely popular character to life.

Grug began his life as the top of a Burrawang tree that fell to the ground. Resembling a small, striped haystack with feet and a nose, Grug is fascinated by the world around him and solves everyday problems creatively and without fuss.

Winner of the Victor Award for best production at the 2011 IPAY (International Performing Arts for Youth) showcase in Tampa, Florida, Grug returns to QPAC for a very limited season before taking off around the world!

Suitable for children 5 years and under.

Director:  Sam Haren
Designer:  Jonathon Oxlade
Cast:  Phillip McInnes, Jude Henshall, Tamara Rewse

Please note:  Tickets are general admission.  The audience will be seated on the stage, on either tiered seating or floor cushions.   Children aged 18 months and over must have their own ticket. 

 

About the Cast

Tamara Rewse

Tamara Rewse has worked in puppet and visual theatre since 1997 and has worked for companies such as Handspan Theatre, Black Hole Theatre, West Side Circus, Arena Theatre Company and Polyglot Theatre. Her skills include making props and puppets for film, television and theatre including the Chronicles of Narnia (2009), Mad Max 4 (2010),Windmill Theatre's Grug and Escape from Peligro Island and Polyglot Theatres City of Riddles. She is co creator of the award winning troupe Men of Steel (Voted 2007 Top 7 shows for Children-Time Out UK) and will develop a new show with them later this year.

Jude Henshall

Jude is a graduate from Flinders University, Drama Centre. Theatre credits include Escape From Peligro Island, The Wizard of Oz and Grug (Windmill Theatre), The Misanthrope, Metro Street, Attempts on her Life and The Real Thing (State Theatre Company), Disappearance, Highway Rock 'n' Roll Disaster and Trouble On Planet Earth (The Border Project), Best We Forget and Nathalie Ribout (isthisyours?). Film and television credits include Sunshine and Oranges, The Swimming Lesson, Yuri Shima, Wire Through the Heart and Rainshadow. Awards include 2007 SA Short Screen Best Performance, 2008 Adelaide Critics Circle Emerging Artist, 2009 Adelaide Advertiser's Best Performance and 2010 Helpmann Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Jude is an associate member of The Border Project and a founding member of isthisyours?.

Phillip McInnes

Growing up in Mukinbudin WA Phillip's father told him from a very early age "there's no money in farming", so he decided to become an actor. Deckchair Theatre Company gave him his first role in King For This Place in 1999, and later that same year he was accepted into WAAPA (Theatre), graduating in 2002. Since then he's developed and performed in productions for Malthouse Theatre Company, Perth International Arts Festival and Complete Works Theatre Company. Recent theatre credits include: Mr Freezy for Men of Steel & Arena Theatre Company and Three Dog Night for Two Blue Cherries. Television credits include: Blue Heelers, Stingers, Neighbours & Wakkaville.

Creative Team

Sam Haren - Director

Sam graduated from the directing course of the Flinders University Drama Centre in 2000. He is the Artistic Director of The Border Project and has directed/co-directed all of the company's work. His directing credits with The Border Project include Vs Macbeth (Adelaide Festival 2010 & Sydney Theatre Company) Disappearance (iNSPACE 2008), Trouble on Planet Earth (Adelaide Fringe 2008), Highway Rock 'n' Roll Disaster (Adelaide Fringe 2006, iNSPACE 2007, Sydney Theatre Company 2008), Please Go Hop! with Ingrid Voorendt (Adelaide Fringe 2004 & Next Wave 2004), The War (Gorge '03 at the AFCT) and Despoiled Shore Medeamaterial Landscape with Argonauts. For Windmill Theatre he has directed Plop!, Grug and Escape from Peligro Island. He has also directed and choreographed Theatrical Trailer for Alien 5 (ADT Ignition 2007 & 2008) and The Game is Not Over (ADT Ignition 2006), The Station/At the Statue of Venus (State Opera SA 2006), Fronteras Americanas (Kultour 2003) and with Steve Mayhew created Super Dimension Fortress One (Remote Telemetry Dialogues 2004)

He was one of three international finalists for Rolex's Mentor and Protégé Initiative for a mentorship with Julie Taymor in 2006, travelling to New York to meet with her. Sam was awarded the Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for 2002 and undertook a three-month internship with The Wooster Group in New York, working on their production of To You, The Birdie! He also observed Forced Entertainment's research and development of The Travels in the UK. He has worked with Leigh Warren and Dancers and the Australian Dance Theatre as a dramaturg and researcher.

Jonathan Oxlade (Designer)

Jonathon studied Illustration and Sculpture at The Queensland College of Art. He has designed Boom Bah!, The Wizard of Oz, Grug, Fugitive, Escape from Peligro Island (Windmill Theatre) A Christmas Carol, Toy Symphony (Queensland Theatre Company) Faustus (Bell Shakespeare/QTC) Attack of the Attacking Attackers (The Escapists), Creche and Burn, The Dance of Jeremiah, and Summer Wonderland (la Boite) Hoods (Real TV) Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear (Jessica Wilson) Mr Freezy, Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd, Moth (Arena Theatre Company/Malthouse) Jonathon has also worked with companies including, Sydney Opera House, Victorian Arts Centre, Out of the Box Festival, Circa and Kooemba Jdarra. He also works as an Illustrator with books including The Empty City, by David Megarrity and the Edie Amelia series by Sophie Lee.

Awards: 2005 Matilda Awards, Best Designer for 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL' and Contribution to Queensland Theatre.  2009 Matlida Awards Best Designer and Best New Work 'ATTACK OF THE ATTACKING ATTACKERS', Crichton Award for New Illustrator's 'THE EMPTY CITY' Shorlisted book.  Jonathon was nominated for a 2010 Greenroom award for his design work on Arenas GOODBYE VAUDEVILLE CHARLIE MUDD.  Windmill's GRUG recently won the 2011 Victor Award at IPAY Showcase, Tampa Florida.

DJ TR!P (Composer)

DJ TR!P is an award winning producer, composer & performer of electronic music based in Adelaide, Australia. Over the past 10 years he has built an impressive repertoire of live compositions both for his club sets as well as for a variety of high profile contemporary theatre & dance productions. As a Live Performing Act & DJ he has played at a variety of venues, festivals & events including The Tank [New York], Sundown & Super Deluxe [Tokyo], Game On [Australian Tour] [Video Game Exhibition from the Barbican Art Gallery], Sydney Opera House, The Famous Spielgeltent, Ten Days On The Island Festival, Mona Foma Festival, Adelaide Festival, Big Day Out, Falls Festival, Brisbane Festival, Next Wave Festival, This Is Not Art Festival, Electro Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Straight Out Of Brisbane Festival, Port Festival & the Australasian Computer Music Conference. As a soundtrack composer he has written for companies including the ABC, State Theatre of South Australia, Vitalstatistix, Tanja Liedtke, The Australian Choreographic Centre, Brink, Australian Dance Theatre [Ignition Series], Windmill, Adelaide Fringe, Tasdance, Closer Productions, Restless Dance Theatre & Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts.

 

Notes for Parents

Download the Parents' Notes [PDF 25KB] for Grug.